Sustainable Procurement - Taking your first steps

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Sustainable Procurement - Taking your first steps

Jimmy Brannigan

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Sustainable Procurement

The workshop will Develop a shared understanding on the issues of

sustainable development Develop an understanding of why sustainable

procurement is important Provide practical guidance on how to take

sustainable procurement forward in your university

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Environment Action Fund Programme Background

Three year project Reducing negative environmental and social impacts

through purchasing Steering group, partners from Further Education and

Higher Education Training

Train the trainer Policy and strategy development Risk based approach to procurement Supplier engagement Social issues in procurement

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What is sustainable development? Sustainable development is difficult to define.

(UK Government 1994)

Sustainable development is a very simple idea ….. (that) is about ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for future generations to come.

(UK Government 1998)

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What is sustainable development? What is Sustainable Development?

Defined by the Brundtland Commission in 1987

“development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

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What is sustainable development?

Society

EconomyEnvironment

Needs not wants

Systems not straight lines

Doing things differently

Long term not short

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What is sustainable development?

Society

EconomyEnvironment

Reduce the negative and increase the positive

Long term view

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What is Sustainable Procurement?

Definition“Sustainable purchasing is all about taking environmental and social factors into account in purchasing decisions. It’s about looking at what your products are made of, where they come from and who has made them”

HEPS Sustainable Purchasing Guidance – Section 1

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Why is sustainable procurement important?

Natural Resources

Transportation ManufacturingProduct

DistributionConsumers

Environmental Footprint

Impacts and Opportunities (Environment)

Low

Supply Chain

High

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Natural Resources




Current Management Effort (Environment)

Low

Supply Chain

High

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Natural Resources




Mismatch between the two

Low

Supply Chain

High

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Selling Sustainable Procurement?

Reputation

Performance

Licence to Operate

Brand

Sustainable Procurement

Customerrequirements

Stakeholderdemands

Employee expectations

Benchmarking

Legislation &Standards

Impact Reduction(environmental)

Business efficiencies

Risk management

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The Flexible Framework

Time

Foundation

Embed Practice

Enhance

Lead The Flexible Framework

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Implementing a risk based approach In the recent publication ‘Procuring the

Future, Sustainable Procurement National Action Plan: Recommendations from the Sustainable Procurement Task Force’ a risk-based approach is widely promoted.

To determine priorities for the public sector the task force “developed an expenditure prioritisation methodology” which uses “an approach based on risk, scope to do more and procurer influence”.

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Implementing a risk based approach Adopting the priorities identified by the task

force in your university or college can help you achieve the 2009 target.

Of the 174 spend areas identified the following 10 were named as priorities for sustainable procurement activity.

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Implementing a risk based approach1 Construction (building and refit, highways and local roads,

operations and maintenance)2 Health and social work (operating costs of hospitals, care

homes, social care provision)3 Food4 Uniforms, clothing and other textiles5 Waste6 Pulp, paper and printing7 Energy8 Consumables – office machinery and computers9 Furniture10 Transport (business travel and motor vehicles)

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What can we do to make it happen?Sphere of ControlSphere of concern

Sphere of influence

Sphere of control

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How do you use it?

Contract management

Contract management

Tender evaluation

Tender evaluation

Supplier Selection

Supplier Selection

The specification

The specification

What are the impacts?

What are the impacts?

Identifying the need

Identifying the need

A simplified approach

A simplified approach

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Defining the need

“The main possibilities for ‘green purchasing’ are to be found at the start of a public purchase process, namely when making the decision on the subject matter of a contract.” (EU Interpretative Communication, 2001)

the need of the procurement should always be framed within the parameters set by the organisation’s policies

ask: what is the procurement aiming to achieve? do we really need the purchase? do we need it to this specification? what happens to the product at end-of-life? how does this procurement impact upon our (environmental)

objectives and policies?

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Defining the need

purchase a coffee machine or a hot drinks service? purchase a new carpet or lease a floor-covering? purchase new fax machines or software to enable

faxes to be sent and received from desktop computers?

purchase photocopiers or a reprographics service? contracts for waste collection or waste

management?

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Life cycle impacts of an organisation

Suppliers Energy Materials People

Inputs

Operations Information Services Products Wastes

Outputs

Environmental and social impacts

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EU Eco-label product groups

Tissue paper Dishwashers Soil Improvers Bed Mattresses Indoor paints and varnishes Footwear Textile products Personal Computers Laundry Detergents Detergents for dishwashers Copying paper Lightbulbs Portable Computers

Refrigerators Washing machines All purpose cleaners and cleaners

for sanitary facilities Hand dishwashing detergents Televisions Hard floor coverings Vacuum cleaners Tourist accommodation Furniture Tyres Rubbish bags Converted paper products Batteries for consumer goods

Those in italics are under development - see http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel

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The specification Under the procurement regulations you can

use eco-label criteria to help determine environmental specifications

Can accept eco-labels as proof of compliance – but other proof must also be accepted

You cannot stipulate that products must have an eco-label certificate

ICLEI guide recommends you always add the words ‘or similar requirements’ and attach the criteria of the relevant eco-label

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Summary

It can be done Build it into your day to day decisions Ask the question Keep talking - there is no right answer!

Sustainable Procurement - Taking your first steps

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